Techie Tuesday: An Intro to Instant Messaging

The concept of instant messaging is pretty basic: It allows two people, who are both using computers connected to the Internet, to communicate (chat) in real time. It's a great tool to use at work because you can get a quick answer to a question without having to send an email.

All it requires is for you to download one of the many instant messenger (aka IM) applications. Then, you set-up an account, get the user names for other people that are on the same service and start sending instant written messages. Below are some popular, free IM tools:

Recently, instant messaging has evolved beyond the computer and, now, many mobile phones has some sort of IM tool. There are also applications that you can download which allow you to IM with anyone regardless of which service they are signed up for (the ones above only allow you to chat with people that use the same application). For more information about IMing across multiple platforms, check out Lifehacker's Five Best Instant Messengers – all of which are not limited to one type of IM application.

To get started, ask around to find out if any of your friends or family members IM, then find a tool that will work for you and start chatting!